WASHINGTON, United States: ICE arrests topped 10,000 in five days after the White House pushed federal immigration authorities to sharply increase daily detention numbers.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials acknowledged instructions to reach at least 2,000 arrests a day, citing documents obtained by The New York Times.
The surge lifted the detained immigrant population to more than 63,000. The operation followed a series of Supreme Court victories for President Donald Trump’s administration in immigration enforcement cases.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the administration planned to remove immigrants whose protections had been revoked. The latest drive marked a sharper phase in Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Read: Trump Deportation Judges Tighten Immigration Cases
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had earlier pledged quieter enforcement operations. The latest figures showed a broader arrest push despite that shift in public messaging.
ICE officials said the agency planned to deport one million people in both fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027. The numbers reflect Trump’s pledge to carry out large-scale deportations from the United States.